Mine trap-door



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

G. BONENBERGER.

MINE TRAP DOOR.

No. 561,369. PatentedJun% l 96.

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G. BO1\TE1\IBERGERI4 MINE TRAP DOOR PmntedJune 2, 1896.`

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llNrrnD STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BONENBERGER, VOF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOMATICMINEDOOR COMPANY, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

MINE TRAP-DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 561,369, dated June 2,1896. Application led January 9,1896. 4 Serial'No. 574,855. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t mag/ concern- Be it known that I, GEORGE BONENBER- GER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county of`Vanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mine Trap- Doors; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecication.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in mine trap-doors,and to one of that class which is adapted to cut off or controlair-currents in the different entries or rooms of a mine; and the objectis to provide a door that is automatically opened and closed by a car orcars passing through the entry in which the door is placed, the car asit approaches the door from either direction oper ating on its mechanismto open it, and after it has passed through such door allowing it toclose.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved door andits operating mechanism, the door being closed. Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the operating mechanism on one side only of the door, the dooritself being open. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the door, showing itclosed in full lines and opened in dotted lines, the connections of thedoor being also shown in their two positions. Fig. 4 is a detail viewshowing the triplever which is connected with one end of the moving bar.

In detail, l represents a framework sup ported across a track 2 in theentry of a mine, 3 being the double doors, which are hinged to the framel, and are connected to` gether bylinks or similar connections 4:. Thedoors close over the tracks, and 5 are strips or sills which fill thespace between the bot` tom of the doors and the ground.

6 is a bracket secured to one of the doors, and to this is pivoted alink 7 which is connected to the end of an operatingdever 8, sccuredtoan upright rod 9, having its ends pivn oted in brackets'lO, secured tothe door-frame l; Near the lower end of the rod 9 there is formed aprojection 11, to the end of which is pivoted the connecting-rod 12.This is in turn pivoted to a crank 13, formed on a short shaft 14,carried in a box 15 outside of the rails.

16 is a short crank formed on the inner end of the shaft 14, and this ispivoted to the outside of the moving bar 17, which lies alongside of andclose to the rail on that side. This moving bar is supported by thecrank 16 near the door and by a crank 18 at each end, the latter cranksbeing formed on the inner ends of short shafts 19, carried in boxes 20,arms 21 being formed integral with or connected to the outer ends oftheshafts and provided with weights 22 for closing thedoors, as hereinafterdescribed.

' The cranks 16 and 18 are all pivoted to the moving bar 17, and all areadapted to move in the same direction on the depression of such bar,which normally is supported by such cranks along the level of the top ofthe rail. To one end of the moving bar is piv oted a flat strip 23,provided with a slot 24 in its outer end, a pin 25 on a pivoted latch ortrip 26 engaging with and working in. such slot, -the trip 26 beingpivoted to the outside of the rail, alongside of which the moving barextends, and its pin 25 normally lying in the outer end of the slot 24Cof the strip 23.

It will be noticed that though both ends of the moving bar are inclinedit is always moved in the same horizontal direction, for when a carapproaches the end of the bar connected with the strip 23 it will firstengage with and move the trip 26, depressing it and moving the movingbar before the car reaches it. 'As soon as the car passes off of themoving bar it resumes its normal position through the dropping of theweighed arms 21.

It will be noticed that the trip 26 only moves the moving bar when a carapproaches from that side of the door, for when a car passes onto themoving bar from the other side and moves the trip 26, as it leaves themoving bar, the pin of the trip moves only in the slot of the strip 23,and hence has no effect on the bar.

This door is very simple in construction, is

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positive in action, and has few parts to get out of order, and isentirely above ground, so that it can be readily repaired.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination with a mine trap-door, of a moving bar carried oncranks alongside of and close to the rail; connections whereby thedepression of the bar opens the doors; a trip at that end of the bartoward which the cranks incline, which depresses the moving bar beforeit is struck by a ear approaching in that direction, and means forraising such bar after it has been depressed, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a mine trap-door,

of a moving bar carried on cranks alongside of and close to the rail;connections whereby the depression of the bar opens the door; a trippivoted near one end of the moving bar and in the path of passing cars,a strip pivoted to said moving bar and to the trip by a slottedconnection whereby the trip will be inoperative when moved in onedirection, but will move and depress the moving bar when moved in theother direction, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE BONENBERGER. Witnesses:

EDWARD MARTZ, JOHN G. Po'ris.

